Automatic flush-tank.



F. WALKER.

AUTOMATlC FLUSH TANK.

APPLICATION FILED/16.4, 1914.

Patented July 9, 1918.

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errant FRANK WALKER, 0F LOS LANGELES, CALIFORNIA, "ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM ELLEWELLYN, 033 .LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC FLUSH-TAN K.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented JJ uly v.9, "1918.

Application filed August 4, 1914. Serial No. 855,065.

To allaolzom it may ooncemz Be i-t' knoavn that LFRANK WVALKnn, a citizen of -the UnitedStatearesidiug at Los Angeles, in-the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Flush- Tanks, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of :flush tanksinwhich a siphon is started into operation by t'he Water rising to a determined height in the tank. I

Anobject'of this invention is to make-the operation of the siphon more :centairnly positive or immediate so as to invariably supplyra full "volume of Water initially to flush thesevver. That is' to say, i t is zdesirableithat ithe flushing Water shall always, at each operation, fact in the sewer suddenly and in great -=volu me rather than by gradual increase from-a sma li to a full 'vol-ume,' Which gradual increase could :cause :a constant leakage of the siphon :and thus make it wasteful and unreliable in its operation.

:An object of this invention .is to zaccomprlish that result and thisis done by so :clirecting thecompressed air trapped in the descending: limb of the siphon, that it Will 'Withoi1t'fail,:.act@to suddenly and completely blow out the Water seal :ofthe air ventlim'b of thesiphon, thus allowing sudden escape of the compressed air trapped in the descending .limb of the siphon; such escape occurring While the main body of the seal is undischarged, 5S0 that practically the .iull

momentum of the stalling body of Water entirely filling the descending limb of the siphon will suddenly be :applied to expel the wvater in the ascending limb.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical mid-section of a sewer flush tank constructed in accordance with this invention, the Water being represented as approaching the flushing stage.

Fig. 2 is a view looking into the dome f-I-'OI1'l;b6'l'OW., the dome being removed from the intake limb of the siphon.

Fig. 3 zis ra :plan section of \the'siphon on line .133,- Fig. l.

The dome 1 is inverted over the descending limb 2 which communicates with the vertically ascending :air vent limb 3 and the likewise ascending discharge limb 4.

The dome is of the usual construction excepting that the guard 5 forthe seal-breaking vent 6 has a 'flusl-i vent 7 in-its bottom so that during the flushing operation a current of Water will pass up through the portion of the guard chamber Which is below the level of the seal-breaking vent, thus to prevent the guard chamber from filling up by rust and corrosion Which has heretofore resulted in closing the seal-breaking vent, the purpose of the vent 7 being to allow a flow of'avater to washout the bottom of the seal-breaking vent guard chamber to prevent accumulations and to-keep, the sealbreaking ventopen. Y

The 'main feature of the present invention consists in the construction of theair vent limb 3-Whichcommunicates with the main outlet channel or ascending limb 1- and the lower end of the descending intermediate limb 2 just above the level of the sealing bend which is in'the form of a bridge '8 for the compressed air from the descending limb 2 to 'act atfirst immediately upon only a comparatively small cross sectional area at the bottom of the Water column'in the air ventlimb '3, and thus to concentrate the force of the compressed air so that in practice When the compressedair passes'the bottom of the partition 9 between the descending limb 2 and the air vent limb 3, it will blow out the Whole column of Water standing in the'air vent limb 3, practically at the "expelling practically the entire liquid contents of the air vent limb, and instantly an d completely clearing theair vent passage so that the. airpressure n the siphon 1s reduced toatmospher-ic pressure so that there is practically no obstruction to the sudden falling of the water body from the dome from side to side of the air vent limb 3 at the bottom of saidlimb, said bridge being a rounded continuation of the partition 9 between the descending limb 2 and the air Vent limb 3, and the upwardly extending lip directing the air up under the column of water in the air vent limb 3 so that the action of the compressed air lifts and drives the water out of the air vent limb suddenly in the manner just described. Said water flows from the air vent over the top of the ascending discharge limb 4 thus momentarily increasing the depth of the water in limb 4 thereby tending to obstruct any discharge of water through limb 4 until the impetus of the full column of water falling through limb 2 onto the water at the bottom of limb 2 becomes effective to suddenly drive out the water in limb 4.

In this way I have made it certain that there will be no leaka e from the seal and that the flushing will e effected by a sudden rush with practically no preliminary gentle flow.

The passages through the siphon are rectangular, preferably oblong in transverse section, as shown in Fig. 3, and the bridge is rounded on its under side to allow the water to flow unobstructedly tothe narrow slot formed between the upwardly extending lip 10 and the partition 11.

In the drawings a, represents the reservoir fiushingtank, b the gradual water supply, 0 the sealing bend of the trap, d the initial terminal of the partition 11 at the bottom of the descending intermediate limb 2 of the siphon, e the throat or reduced passageway and f the outlet into the sewer 12.

The dome 1 like the bells or domes heretofore used in flush tank siphons is removable from the intake end of the intermediate limb 2 and the intermediate limb 2 is unobstructed from top to bottom and the initial terminal d of the partition l1,'which partition divides the lower end of the descending intermediate limb and also the seal into the two limbs or channels 3 the level of the bridge or bend 8, so that an instrument may be inserted down through the intermediate limb 2 and through the initial end of the air vent 3 to and 4, is close to scrape off accumulations of rust which may occur in the throat e.

The comparatively great depth of the column of liquid in the channel 4 causes all ofthe air pressure produced by the column of liquid in the reservoir a, to be effective on the initial surface of the column of liquid in the channel 3, and in practical operation the body of liquid in the narrow throat 6 holds back the air, while the bend 8 is comparatively short in order to minimize capillary attraction and the formation of air bubbles; and whenever air flows around in contact with the lip 10 it is delivered at the center of the column in the channel 3 where it expands equally toward both the walls 9 and 11 as above set forth, thus becoming immediately effective to lift thewater in 3 and to start the siphon.

I claim:

In an automatic flush tank, a siphon provided with a vertically descending limb having integrally joined thereto at the lower part of one of its walls a vertically ascending limb, said wall thus being common to both limbs; an outlet in communication with the upper part of the ascending limb; a curved part connecting the lower ends of said limbs and together with the ascending limb forming the seal of the siphon; a partition beginning within the descending limb at a level slightly above the level of the lower end of the common wall and extending from side to side of the siphon; said partition also being provided With a curve and having a terminal. ascending vertically within the ascending limb to the level of the outlet; said partition thus dividing the lower end of the descending limb and also dividing the seal into two-channels, each channel having a vertically ascending passage therein; said passages terminatingat the same outlet level; and one of the chanthe upper part of the curve in the first named channel so that capillary attraction and the formation of air bubbles are thereby minimized, and also producing a throat or reduced passageway at the lower end of the vertically ascending passage in the firstnamed channel; and the passage in the firstnamed channel assuming its full width immediately above the terminal of said bend so that the air entrapped in the descending limb of the siphon may suddenly expand above said bend at a predetermined moment In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set and blow out the liquid seal in the firstmy hand at Los Angeles, California this 10 namedfchannel, While the Weighsi of the (iol- 30th day of July, 1914.

umn 0 liquid in the last-name channe is normally sufficient to resist the pressure of FRANK WALKER the entrapped air, and the main body of the In presence ofliquid seal is thus retained in the last-named JAMES R. TOWNSEND,

channel. L. BELLE WEAVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

